While at Disneyland, my friend made us a reservation to visit Carnation Café because she ad heard so many good things. We arrived right on time for out 8:45 AM reservation and we were seated immediately.

Once seated, we were handed menus and we ordered our drinks. Annie and I decided we would try the signature Mickey Waffle while Alec opted for the Class Eggs Benedict (which was surprisingly less expensive). Annie also ordered the apple topping for an extra dollar.

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When the food came out, I was stoked. The waffle looked awesome (and I must admit, I was super jealous I didn’t order the apple topping for myself [second photo]). The waffle went fast and the eggs benedict even faster. The waffle itself was quite good and Alec’s eggs benedict was very good. No problems were had when devouring this meal.

For dishes in the $10-$12 range, the pricing is actually pretty reasonable and on par with any nice breakfast joint you’d find in a major city. Overall, I wouldn’t mind coming back to Carnation Café and getting another waffle with some awesome topping, especially with the reasonable prices and a need to get in a good meal before running around the parks all day!

My favorite time of the month has come! Tsum tsum time! This month’s box was, unfortunately, a bit disappointing to me. The Princess and the Frog trio came with Princess Tiana, Mama Odie, and Prince Naveen (as a frog, obviously).

Of these three, I am most excited about Princess Tiana just because it is a wonderfully detailed and well made tsum. The choice to put Mama Odie in this trio was questionable to me, however, as I did not see her as a main character. I think this third slot would’ve been better filled with Lottie or The Shadow Man (which after a little digging I’ve found a tsum exists for him so I’ll be keeping an eye out … ), or even Louis (though he may resemble the croc from Peter Pan too much as a tsum).

I also am not sure about the choice to make Naveen a frog, as a frog in tsum tsum form looks a little questionable. It’s more of a green blob with a face and a little butterfly (?) tie.

I do wonder if this would have been better as a micro set of six characters, but I understand the new micro princess castle would make Tiana a repeat and I imagine that that’s why Disney decided on three minis.

I guess when I was thinking of December, I imagined this box would have more of a holiday theme or maybe winter theme (ie. Frozen, Beauty and the Beast Enchanted Christmas, Mulan [Mountain Fight], or maybe even Brother Bear). Or to keep with the holidays, Mickey’s Christmas Carol, which I find to be a fairly well known classic (unlike Runaway Brain).

I find my problem to be that I was putting too much hype into the December month as the last month of the year (plus with wind that the sub box may end in January, it’s now or never to wow us), but I still do enjoy having Princess and the Frog tsums, so I can’t complain about that. Plus I found the red box (as pictured) that fits them and the card pretty well for display purposes!

All in all, I am never quite happy with getting a mini trio over something as cool as what we got last month (Wreck-It Ralph), but I love the Princess and the Frog (I actually made Alec watch it not that long ago), so I’m happy to have these to add to my collection. And in the future, I’m hoping more characters are released from this movie (such as human Naveen and a frog Tiana, as well as Lottie and Louis). Fingers crossed new tsums continue to be released!

Woo! I love the months that I get both a Disney Treasures box and a tsum tsum sub box! The best part is Disney Treasures is shipped at the beginning while the tsum tsum box come later, meaning double to excitement and not all at one time!

In comparison to last month’s box, the size of the box as a whole is smaller (hinting that a larger pop is probably not hidden within). However, It was still full of cute Disney items and fun little winter things to enjoy.

First when opening the box, I was greeted with a patch and pin (just like last month). Delving deeper, there’s the map and then the top of the contents of the box.

Looking further, I was super excited about the tin box containing winter Belle. I mean, with a name like Belle, I can’t be displeased with a Beauty and the Beast item!

The next item to capture my attention was the cute skating Bambi pop. I not sure what I’ll do with it, but it’s adorable nonetheless. When I cam across the Nightmare Before Christmas socks, I was almost as excited as the Belle tin. I definitely know what my feet will be wearing on Christmas morning.

The Mickey and Minnie thermos is adorable as well, though a tad bit plain and doesn’t quite scream great quality. However, I think my mom will love it so we’ll be gifting this item. Last up in the box was an Olaf cookie cutter, which I’m pretty happy about because my family loves making sugar cookies around Christmas and now we’ve got another character to add to the mix!

All in all, I am quite pleased with this box. It is nice to know that with each box purchase, you’re definitely getting your money’s worth in Disney merchandise. I have to admit, I think I liked October’s box a bit more, but I’m still by no means disappointed by December’s box. That being said, I’m excited to see what February bring! Maybe Valentine’s?

Alec and I made a trip out to Disneyland over the weekend to visit a good friend. We had done some research and decided on Blue Bayou as the table service location of choice after reading some glowing recommendations.

We managed to get a 1:40 PM reservation for Monday (December 4) only two days in advance. I had to check the Disneyland iPhone app a few times throughout Saturday, but sure enough a reservation opened up and I grabbed it.

We arrived a few minutes late for our reservations (the Pirates ride was a little backed up and offloading took a bit longer than expected), but the concierge had no problems. We requested a table near the water, which is why I believe our wait was closer to 30 minutes after arriving.

I must say, the wait to be placed by the water was definitely worth it. Throughout our dining experience, we waved at Pirates of the Caribbean riders and just had a blast. It was fun looking at the different parts of the entry to the attraction and just be engulfed in the setting of New Orleans. It was definitely a ‘true Disney’ experience where you just forget about the world outside of Disneyland.

The entrees are set up as a two course menu. You can ask for salad with a choice of ranch or vinaigrette or a cup of gumbo as your first course followed by the entrée. My friend, Annie, and I both opted for the bone-in rib eye with salads while Alec chose the bolognaise with gumbo.

I must also note, throughout your experience your server and anyone clearing plates will ask if you would like bread (or more bread). Not gonna lie, we said yes every time and the three of us went through three baskets of bread. The bread is completely free and delicious (maybe even more so because it’s free) and is flavored with a little rosemary. Each basket is essentially a mini loaf with three to four portions that can be easily pulled from the loaf. You get two kinds of butter, plain and smoked. We tried the smoked butter and agreed it tasted a little like bacon, but all of us preferred just going with the plain butter.

The salad was very good, but different than expected. I must admit, I didn’t read the fine print and I don’t like gorgonzola cheese much, so I ended up picking out some of the larger chunks while eating. However, I didn’t have any issues polishing the salad off and before I knew it, the gumbo in front of Alec was wiped clean.

When the main entrees came out, I was stoked. The rib eye came with a cup of mac and cheese with gouda and seasonal vegetables, which were green beans, small zucchini, and cherry tomato. I ordered my steak medium rare and received a steak that was closer to medium, so if you like your steaks bloody, I’d suggest noting this to the server. Again, I had no troubles eating through the steak and thought it was quite good, just a bit more cooked through than I had anticipated.

My seasonal vegetables were great, but the mac and cheese left me with something to be desired. The green beans had a little crunch, which I love, and the remaining veggies were seasoned well. The mac and cheese was good, but not great. There was more breading than cheese, so I found it to be a little dry. As you can probably guess by now, I still had no issues finishing my meal.

Alec enjoyed his bolognaise and the shrimp I tried from his meal was good. Alec said he enjoyed the entrée, but he could’ve settled for a big bowl of gumbo over the bolognaise because he liked it so well. He also received a little dish of bread with sauce (last picture), which he did not finish and I was too full to try (very helpful, I know).

Overall, I understand what the hype is about for Blue Bayou. You really can’t beat the atmosphere and fun of watching ride-goers go by while listening to bayou sounds. If you’re planning a trip out to Disneyland, I’d definitely say this is worth your time just for the experience.

When I opened the box for this month’s subscription, I’m not going to lie, I was very pleasantly surprised. After the sort of ‘dud’ month with Runaway Brain, I was wary of what this month’s box would be. But Alec and I both agree, this is probably the biggest ‘bang for your buck’ item we’ve gotten from this subscription.

Not only did we get a very well made mini Wreck-It Ralph and a micro Fix-It Felix (peep Felix’s tiny little nametag), we got the whole arcade cabinet to boot! It’s hard to even put a price on something like the arcade cabinet, because it isn’t something I’ve seen Disney put on their website yet, but I’d probably value this as a $30-$35 item base price if Disney were to list it.

From a little digging on eBay, I’ve seen bids as high as $40 on eBay and list prices in the $60 to $80 range, which doesn’t surprise me because this is such a unique item and Wreck-It Ralph is an awesome movie with not enough merchandise.

I know that Vanellope does not fit into the Fix-It Felix game, but I still would have loved to have had her incorporated somewhere – I am hoping that a Wreck-it Ralph line of tsum tsum may be in the pipeline!

All in all, my faith in the Disney Tsum Tsum Subscription has been renewed and I can’t wait to see what Disney has in store for December (meanwhile, I am patiently awaiting the delivery of my Disney Treasures box)!

While waiting for Michael’s to open (Holiday Hours threw us for a loop), Alec and I decided to walk around Toys “R” Us because it was virtually the only store open at 9AM on a Sunday. I am glad we stopped in, however, because they had a decent selection of tsum tsum minis available.

Trying to finish my Sleeping Beauty collection, I grabbed the Aurora and Maleficent tsums for myself. I did notice that the quantity of fairies was much higher at Toys “R” Us than Target, though, so if you’re still on the hunt for Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, I’d suggest dropping in to Toys “R” Us first.

Surprisingly enough, there were some left over (or very early) Easter tsums. While I do own plenty, I try to limit myself by steering clear of seasonal or holiday themed tsums. Though if the advent calendar goes on sale after Christmas, I may have to make an exception.

Also, as hinted in the photo, all things tsum are 20% when you enter your rewards numbers (membership is free), which saves $1 per tsum. It’s not a lot, but it helps!

So if you’re still looking for Sleeping Beauty (or Tangled too, actually) tsums, head on over to Toys “R” Us!

When shopping at Target, I always manage to convince Alec to run by the tsum tsum display in the toy section just in case there is anything good. While I usually do not find any tsums of interest (almost always the same selection), I feel as if I hit the jackpot this time around when I came face to face with Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather.

Unfortunately, when these cute little fairies showed up on Disney’s website, I assumed it wouldn’t be an issue purchasing them at a later date when they went on sale. I bet wrong, however, because the box set sold out quickly and before I knew it, resellers were charging astronomical prices.

With that background, I was both shocked and excited to see the fairies in person and I shamelessly snatched them up and headed to the check out. While I typically try to buy the minis on sale at around $2-$3, I didn’t mind buying these at $5 each since it had been so long since I’d seen them for sale at MSRP.

So if you’re still in the market for the fairies to complete your Sleeping Beauty collection, I’d suggest making a Target run to see if they’re sitting waiting for you!

I was surprised to see that Disney opted for semi-obscure titles two months in a row. And I must say, I wasn’t terribly impressed with this month’s box. While I can appreciate getting original tsums with original concepts, I just didn’t fall in love with these little guys.

After a quick Google search, I read the synopsis of Runaway Brain on Wikipedia. In short, it’s a classic Frankenstein-esque short film that definitely fits in with the upcoming Halloween holiday. So while I appreciate the originality and timing, I just didn’t feel that these had a high value.

Apart from Dr. Frankenollie, I imagine it was quite easy to produce the Mickey Mouse and Julius tsums, as they’ve already made the template for normal Mickey and Pete. I just felt that these didn’t scream quality and craftsmanship like many of the others, mostly because of the tsums’ likeness to previously made characters.

My sentiment for these tsums seems to be shared with resellers online too, as eBay has this month’s sub box listed for as low as $23 with free shipping, the lowest I have seen a box listed for to my memory.

So while I like the imagination and Halloween spirit put into this month’s box, I cannot say I am terribly attached to the tsums received. Will I sell them? Probably not, but I can say this is the least exciting box I’ve gotten so far. Here’s to hoping that next month will be awesome!

So, I’m a little late to the game in joining the Funko Disney Treasures subscription, but I wanted to wait it out for a few months and see if the boxes were as really good as they seemed. With a promising start (I must say the Dumbo in the first box almost had me convinced on its own), I decided to join in the fun of this subscription. And I must say, I was not disappointed.

Costing a total of $36.95, this box was packed full of fun stuff. The box itself is adorable, designed to look like a treasure chest, and when you open it up, the lid has a cute little map.

Of course, starting to delve into the box, I was met with a real ‘treasure map.’ This map gives a good idea on what the exact contents of the box are and what the uses are for each item or the concepts behind them.

As shown on the map, the box contained a great many items, including a Magic Mirror patch, Jafar pin, October 2017 sticker, and one of mine and Alec’s personal favorites, a nice, large Maleficent dragon.

The fun has only just begun though, as there’s more in the box! There’s a Cruella de Vil Dorbz as well as a cute Nightmare Before Christmas ‘Zero’ bag for those of us still trick or treating. Sadly, I don’t see myself having much use for this bag, but it is mighty cute.

Lastly, the box contained a tin box with a Haunted Mansion ghost inside. I had Alec take a bunch of pictures because I was confused on exactly what it is. In essence, it’s a cute little ghost figure in a nicely themed Haunted Mansion tin.

Jafar Pin – ~$5 (I’m making this based on pricing for a mystery tsum pin.)

Maleficent Pop Figure – $20 (for a larger pop, however I’m seeing pricing as hhigh as $140 on eBay, which of course I don’t know if someone will buy at that price)

October 2017 Sticker – $0 (I am thinking this isn’t something someone would buy, rather just a cute thing to get with this box.)

Cruella de Vil Dorbz – $8 (this has pretty much no mark up online)

Zero Trick-or-Treating Bag – $10 (based on similar bags online)

Haunted Mansion Tin / Figure – $15 (this is more of a guess)

With these estimates, I’d value the box at a grand total of $63, which is over twice as much as I paid (when taking out the $6.95 shipping costs). So I’d say that this box easily gives a bang for your buck when it comes to content, quantity, and quality of items.

I can say with confidence that I’ll be signing up for December’s box, Snowflake Mountain!

I have to say, Disney heard my call for ‘obscure, lesser known’ Disney films loud and clear when they came up with the Flying Gauchito for this month’s subscription box.

Honestly, I am not familiar with the Flying Gauchito, but I did recognize Burrito vaguely. However, as far as tsum tsum go, these guys are mighty cute. As noted on card, Burrito’s saddle is removable, which I think is a neat feature and speaks to the quality and thought put into these characters. While I don’t have an excuse to remove the saddle, which would in turn force me to pull Gauchito off (he’s connected with little plastic ties), I do like this a feature. Perhaps my favorite part of this month’s box is that underneath Burrito’s saddle are little pudgy wings, which are too cute not to photograph. And I’m not going to lie, I love that his name is Burrito.

So while Disney definitely went for the lesser known, I think they hit the mark with a quality set of tsums and definitely put the thought into executing them well, which makes it worth the money spent. This also give me an excuse to go watch some more Disney movies to get familiar with these two little cuties!